Hindi
Shakal Pe Mat Ja is a formula for boredom
MUMBAI: The idea is to take a contemporary subject, turn it into a funny film and let the heroes come out with flying colours in true filmy style. There is youth and there is enthusiasm; however lack of experience tells on the outcome.
Shubh, Chitrak Bandopadhyay, Harsh Parekh and Pratik Katare are taking pictures at Delhi airport. They are arrested as it is a restricted zone and shooting is illegal. The police suspect them of being terrorists and are later convinced of it. Police officer Raghuveer Yadav and anti-terrorist officer Saurabh Shukla are in charge of the case and the interaction between the lot is meant to be funny, but it does not work most of the time with their best idea of comedy being jokes about breaking wind, which is overstretched.
The second half about boys foiling a real plan to bomb the airport is shoddy and fails to excite. With not much of a story to work with, poor scripting and about 140 minutes of running time, the film is a formula for boredom.
As for performances, the four boys rate from passable to pathetic; the veterans, Saurabh Shukla and Raghuveer Yadav, Mushtaq Khan and Zakir Hussain are no help either.
Shubh, who directs the film besides playing lead, has no inkling of the craft. His approach and execution is amateur at best. Among other aspects, music is below par; lyrics are uninspiring; cinematography is average.
Shakal Pe Mat Ja is a total and utter waste of resources.
Hindi
Jio Studios, Sanjay Dutt team up to revive Khal Nayak
Rights acquired for new version, format under wraps as remake plans take shape.
MUMBAI: The villain is back and this time, he’s rewriting his own script. Jio Studios has partnered with Three Dimension Motion Pictures and Aspect Entertainment to revive the 1993 cult classic Khal Nayak, marking a fresh chapter for one of Bollywood’s most iconic anti-hero stories. The original film, directed by Subhash Ghai under Mukta Arts, was a commercial and cultural milestone, with Sanjay Dutt’s portrayal of Ballu becoming one of Hindi cinema’s most memorable performances.
Dutt, along with Aksha Kamboj, has now acquired the rights from the original creators, bringing on board Jio Studios and its President Jyoti Deshpande to steer the project creatively.
While the exact format whether remake, sequel, prequel, or a completely new narrative remains undisclosed, the collaboration aims to reinterpret the story for contemporary audiences while retaining the essence that made the original a defining film of the 1990s.
The move taps into a broader industry trend of reviving legacy intellectual property, particularly characters with strong recall value. “Khal Nayak” was notable for pushing mainstream Hindi cinema into morally grey territory at a time when heroes were largely one-dimensional, making Ballu’s character a standout.
The project also marks the film production debut of Aspect Entertainment, signalling a push towards more technology-led storytelling frameworks. Meanwhile, Jio Studios continues to expand its slate, having built a library of over 200 films and series, with more than 60 titles collectively winning 500-plus awards.
For Dutt, the revival is as much personal as it is strategic, a return to a role that reshaped his career. For the industry, it is another sign that nostalgia, when paired with scale, remains a powerful box-office proposition.
Because in Bollywood, some villains never fade, they just wait for the perfect comeback.
